Lawyer Network News

Alberta Lawyer News

No other option but to sue - Calgary lawyer

Posted Jan 20, 2016 on calgary.ctvnews.ca

Jeff Kahane, a lawyer in Calgary, said that there is no other option for disgruntled clients but to file a lawsuit against contractors who have abandoned them.

The Calgary General Contractors (CGC) has closed shop leaving several unfinished projects in its wake and putting house owners who have contracted them to renovate their homes at a disadvantage as they have already made payments.

In a statement sent to CTV News, a lawyer for CGC said that the contractor tried to stay afloat but it eventually had to close as a result of the declining economy.

Kahane said that in such situation, clients have no other choice but to file a lawsuit against the contractor.

Filing such a case would be worth it that is if the company has any assets left or any more collectibles.

Kahane advised that for renovations, it would be better to pay as work is done rather than paying in advance.

Lawyers of beating death suspect want him to stay in Calgary

The 19-year-old Rider has been accused of beating to death Christa Cachene last October and he is now facing second-degree murder charges.

Williamson told Judge Jim Ogle of the provincial court that having Rider in Edmonton is making it very hard to communicate with him especially for Calgary defence lawyer Balfour Der, who is acting as the lead counsel for his defence.

The lawyer added that they would have to meet with Rider several times which is why they need him to be in Calgary.

Judge Ogle said he will make the order, although he is hesitant about doing so and he wants to know first the impact of such move from remand officers.

Canada Lawyer News

45YO meted with 5-year prison term for severely beating girlfriend

Peter Joseph Poirier received a sentence of five years for severely beating his girlfriend twice in what has been described as a very extreme case of domestic violence.

Poirier, 45, however, only has two years and a half left to serve after he was credited for the time he spent in custody during the trial.

According to Edmonton lawyer Darin Slaferek, his 45-year-old client grew up to a father who constantly abused his mother.

Court heard that Poirier's acts were fueled by his jealousy of other men. Aside from mauling his girlfriend, he also threatened to kill her and himself and even detained her for a few days.

The girlfriend was finally able to escape from Poirier's clutches when he fell asleep.

By then she was already nursing several injuries including fractures to the skull and a bleeding brain, aside from the bruises all over her body.

Calgary lawyers worried for their clients' health

Posted Jun 30, 2015 on www.huffingtonpost.ca

Calgary lawyers Shamsher Kothari and Stephen Bitzer are asking for a sentence of between eight to 10 years for their clients who have been convicted for their involvement in a Ponzi scheme considered as one of the biggest in Canada.

Kothari fears that his client, Milowe Brost, 61, might die in jail due to his poor health should he be given a longer sentence.

Bitzer, for his part, said that even a 10-year sentence is too long for his 71-year-old client, Gary Sorenson.

The lawyer added that 10 years is akin to a life sentence for Sorenson at his age.

Brost and Sorenson were convicted last February of fraud and theft while Brost was also found liable of laundering money.

The sentencing judge is expected to make a decision later as the court has yet to review about 800 requests for restitution from victims.

Nepal citizens who are working in Canada on a temporary permit should be given a reprieve, according to Calgary immigration lawyer Raj Sharma.

Sharma said that the Canadian government should do something for the foreign workers from Nepal which recently suffered from a very strong earthquake.

The lawyer has proposed to have the foreign workers from Nepal be given permanent residency as some of them already had their permits expiring.

He said that a little less than 400 Nepalese are working in Canada under the temporary foreign worker program.

Sharma added that with the catastrophe, it will not be appropriate to be sending them back to Nepal.

Cocaine turns out to be a dud

Posted Apr 03, 2015 on www.therecord.com

A drug charge against Shane Achilles was withdrawn after a powder seized from him and thought to be cocaine turned out to be Metamucil, a laxative.

With that, Achilles is set to get back about $2,000 that police seized from him believing the money was earned in a drug deal.

However, Achilles was not off the hook as he admitted to evading police who chased him. He also violated traffic rules in the process.

He submitted a guilty plea to driving while disqualified and failing to stop for police.

He received a 105 day-jail sentence and a three-year driving ban.

Kitchener criminal lawyer Hal Mattson, who defended for Achilles, said his client had an unsavory upbringing having been brought up by a single mother, who moved around Ontario a lot. Afterwards, he mostly grew up on the streets.

He had gone clean about five years ago but went back to using drugs last year.

Vancouver constable found guilty but also had his rights violated

Posted Mar 13, 2015 on www.nelsonstar.com

Stephen Todd, a former member of Vancouver police, has been found guilty of improperly accessing police database and giving information to his relative, who was under investigation.

However, Wally Oppal, who adjudicated the complaint against Todd, also dismissed accusations that Todd was being deceitful, displayed discreditable conduct and neglected bis duty.

Oppal slammed officers for denying Todd his right to get advice from a legal counsel or even from just the union during the time he was being questioned to obtain information about his relative.

Kevin Woodall, a lawyer in Vancouver, said Todd welcomes the decision and that he is happy to be absolved of the grave allegations.

Todd has been fired as a result of the deceitful accusations, which have now been dismissed.

The complaints against Todd stemmed from an incident in 2010 wherein Todd had accessed the police database to satisfy the curiosity of his family. It was then that he found out that one of his relatives was under investigation. Todd then accessed the database two more times.

However, according to Oppal, the way Todd was investigated was appalling wherein he was told that charges were ready to be filed against him. The investigators also resorted to fabricating a letter advising Todd that upon a judge's order, his personal communications were monitored.